Education

Mercy Odondo is a Human Rights Defender, Conversationalist, Community Journalist, and Passionate Community Servant. She is the Founder and Director of The Kenya Annual Human Rights Debate and Gender Dialogues Community-Based Organization (GD).

A YALI RLC Fellow (2020) and ACT Advocacy Academy Fellow (2024), Mercy leverages the power of theatre, debates, and community dialogues to create safe and empowering spaces for adolescent girls and women in Kisumu County, while fostering strategic partnerships.

Founded in 2018, Gender Dialogues (GD) empowers women and girls through art and evidence-based approaches in health, education, and community organizing. The organization also addresses gender equality, climate change, governance, human rights, and peace and security, with the ultimate goal of transforming the lives of women and girls across Kenya.

Fatma Ali #ZuriAwards 2023 Education Nominee is the cofounder of Path Youth Organization based in Mombasa Kenya. Path is a youth led organization that tackles the issue of academic transition through mentorship, career guidance and offering psychosocial support to learners both in and out of school. Fatma also has a personal initiative to offer mentorship to young girls, providing dignity packs to young girls as well as providing psychosocial support and househouse levels. Through her initiative she has been working closely with other stakeholders in the education sector including teachers and community focal persons.

Sylvia Khasoa Sore is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Simama Na Dada (SND) Initiative a Swahili name meaning “Support a Sister” which she started in 2013 and is registered as a Community Based Organization (CBO). This initiative is anchored on the belief that increasing the number of adolescent girls successfully completing the education cycle is a critical component of efforts to build their wider empowerment and in particular ensuring that they are able to be involved in decision making over all aspects of their lives including over their reproductive and sexual health rights. For the past 9 years since initiation, SND has been able to Mentor and train more than 600,000 young people, Provided dignity kits to more than 850,000 adolescent girls, young mothers and women (AGYW) to ensure that they Menstruate with dignity and stay in school. 350,000 girls are under their Monthly Mentorship-Leadership and distribution of dignity kits programs.

Seleyian has 12 years’ experience in community development and project management. She is the founder and director of Murua Girl Child Education Program. She is passionate about child protection, human rights and women/girls empowent a skilled community Facilitator and Researcher. She Serves in the secretariat of the Youth Anti FGM network in charge of programs. Narok County Gender Technical working group and the Narok County Children advisory committee.

Rukia Sebit is the founder of The Sunflower Trust and a #ZuriAwards 2022 Nominee. The Sunflower Trust exists to create an environment where adolescent girls can discover as a community, their capacities and potential, achieve self-value, self-actualization and acquiring bodily autonomy and knowledge to make informed choices as measured by health seeking behavior, access to quality education and economic security. Give targeted group an access to quality learning that will reduce their risk of dropping out of school.

Tinah Lughano Education Nominee #ZuriAwards 2021 is the Founder of Green Kids Club Operating under Kids Tiaras. Her passion towards our environment and children. She started working with children on talent development, creativity and problem solving. With the increased rate of environmental degradation due to lack of environmental knowledge prompt her to educate the children and look for ways to support and motivate their creativity.

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